


Now, and Always

by myspaceout



Series: Missing Scenes [6]
Category: Charmed (TV 2018)
Genre: F/M, Family Fluff, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Missing Scene, Mutual Pining, References S02E18, Romance, SoftHacy, set between Season 1 and Season 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:34:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23893906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myspaceout/pseuds/myspaceout
Summary: Set between Season 1 and 2: my take of where the picture from Macy's wallet in S02E18 comes from.
Relationships: Harry Greenwood & Macy Vaughn, Harry Greenwood/Macy Vaughn
Series: Missing Scenes [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1564960
Comments: 22
Kudos: 53





	Now, and Always

**Author's Note:**

> I had the idea for this fic after the episode aired, but I never quite found the right way to begin it. The inspiration came from an unlikely source this week, and the idea was birthed over an evening shift at work, in which I typed the outline into the NOTES app on my phone. So, yes, this is another fic that I'm writing to 'get out of my system' so I can go to sleep tonight/ this morning.

She blinked at the email on her screen, rereading the words repeatedly. Macy could not help the thrill that ran through her veins as she read the proposal- a chance to go elsewhere, a new opportunity to be somewhere new. A range of emotions flooded her mind- Vindicated, worthy, relieved. Somewhere to her right, her phone buzzed.

She glanced down- _Decorating. Tonight. Come home straight <3\. _

Ah, yes.

She walked through campus, burdened with mixed feelings- euphoria yet doubt. Yes, being in Hilltowne, being with her new family meant that Macy had finally regained some level of stability. Would it be wise to shake everything up again? Would it be the right decision given her new position as a Charmed One, as a leader in the Magical World? 

As she passed Ferber Hall, Macy paused, her feet changing direction. She felt the overwhelming urge to share her news, to tell _him_ before she told anyone else. She pulled open the heavy wooden door and slid into the lecture hall. The lights were dimmed so everyone could see the slides more clearly. Students were scattered across the rows. Macy quietly snuck into an empty seat without calling attention to herself. Her eyes searched the room, finally falling on the figure stood in front. Harry’s face lit softly by the computer screen, his voice echoing through the hall as he moved casually, folding and unfolding his arms as he spoke- as though he was debating the entire room, captivating his audience with his accent, convincing them of his argument. 

The lights flashed on suddenly, refocusing Macy’s attention. She watched as Harry’s gaze searched the crowd- he must have asked a question, now seeking an unassuming undergraduate to call on. His eyes met hers briefly, and she swore he was suppressing a smile. Someone called out the answer, to which Professor Greenwood nodded in agreement. His eyes fell on Macy again, this time with a quirk of his eyebrow. She couldn’t help but smile at the silent signal, tilting her head slightly, twirling a finger as though to say ‘later’. 

The class eventually ended, and she made her way to the front as the students filtered out. His back was towards her as he erased the board; Macy allowed herself the indulgence of admiring his frame, her own eyes falling from the length of his shoulders as he stretched, down to where his trousers were fitted snugly against his.. ‘ _No, **no** , we do not think of our Whitelighter that way. Conceal, don’t feel, Macy.’ _

“Professor Greenwood?”

“Yes?” he turned, only to shoot her a sardonic smile. “Yes, _Doctor_ Vaughn?”

Her lips quirked up at his teasing reply. “I was wondering if you would have a moment to talk.”

His brow furrowed slightly, glancing around the room to see if they were alone. “Did something happen?”

“Oh, no, no,” she replied quickly, shaking her head, curls bouncing at the movement. “Well, not anything of _that_ nature, but something else.”

Harry had started organising his things, arranging the papers on the desk into his briefcase. The lights slowly dimmed, except for a sliver of sunshine that peeked through the open lecture room doors. She watched as he placed the documents quickly, his movements seemed hurried as though to rush to continue the conversation. Macy could not help but appreciate his thoughtful nature, their similar inner workings: the need to complete one task in order to give the other person their undivided attention. 

“Alright, that should do it. Perhaps we can talk on the way back?”

“Sure, Maggie wants us back soon anyway.”

“Ah yes, her project.”

They stepped out of the hall, walking side by side on their way to the car park. It had become their routine since Harry’s unofficial move into the Vera Manor. It was never spoken aloud, but an understanding had fallen between the four of them- they needed to be close to each other, at least until things were more settled. Which is why the question of whether to leave them, gnawed ever more firmly in Macy’s gut. 

“So, what was it you wanted to discuss?”

“You know the job I was telling you about?”

“Yes.. the one about bioethical research in Ann Arbor?”

“You remember, good. So, I got the email today… and I got it. I got the job.”

Harry stopped in his tracks, turning towards her with a grin, “Congratulations, Macy! That’s wonderful”, his arms encircling her in a warm hug. She could not help her own mirth bubbling over, glad she decided to share her news with him first. He always seemed to know what the right thing to say was, and she came to value that gift of his, so very much. 

As they pulled away, Harry’s smile turned into a frown, realization dawning on him. “Ah, your sisters...”

“Exactly.” 

They continued walking, stopping finally outside her car. Harry rested his hand thoughtfully on the handle, before pulling at it to open the door. 

“I could always orb to get you if needed. And it is only two hours away, that’s not a difficult drive. Again, I can orb you back and forth. ‘Beam me up, Scotty’, as you would say.”

Macy chuckled, rolling her eyes as she got into the driver’s seat, clicking her belt in place. She placed her hands on the wheel before letting out a long sigh. 

“Do you really think I should take it?” She felt a warm pressure at the nook of her elbow, turning to find Harry’s hand there, in a supportive gesture. 

“I think you should do whatever you feel is right. Your instincts have rarely been wrong.”

* * *

“And, what have you decided?”

Harry sat beside his eldest charge, handing her a cup of hot tea. She took it from it gratefully, blowing gently at the steam before taking a sip.

“I don’t know yet. I’m still debating it.”

They were seated on the steps of the back porch, watching as Maggie instructed Mel, as the elder Vera attempted to rearrange the string of small lanterns. Her birthday was a few days away, but naturally, the preparations for festivities had begun early. Maggie was turning 20 and had decided to invite half the university class to help her welcome in a new decade. “It will be the party of the year, and we will have lights, and drinks, and food, and music, and no talk of anything magic- related.” was the declaration she had made a week earlier as she laid out her plans, much to the amusement of her older sisters. And part of those plans were tiny lanterns, tiny lightbulbs, and fairy lights- and documenting every single thing to upload on her Instagram feed as part of the ‘teaser for the party of the decade’. 

“Well, one thing’s for sure, if you take the job, I will miss you.” 

The tone with which he said it made her heart skip a beat, as she turned to regard her Whitelighter. With the passing months since ‘everything’, it was no doubt that Harry had grown more protective over her: always in her corner when she argued with her sisters over the smallest things ( her almond milk, for example), always eager to binge watch any show she chose, happy to oblige for a ‘warm cuppa’ on a rainy evening where they discussed everything or nothing, or just simply sat in the silence of each other’s company. His friendship had slowly become a touchstone for her, a stabilising block in the ever-changing landscape. And she found that she never wanted to lose that. 

She nudged his side with her elbow. “I will miss you, too.” 

Their eyes met, and Macy felt her stomach do a flip as his swirls of blue-green gazed into her own brown. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a bell seemed to chime, a warning of shifting balances in their relationship. 

The ‘click and snap’ of Maggie’s polaroid camera broke them out of their silent preoccupation of each other. Macy turned to see her sister’s impish smile as she waved the developing picture in her right hand. “You guys look adorable! Come on, sit closer, I need more pictures for my Insta.”

With an exasperated sigh, Harry shuffled an inch to his right, both him and Macy posing formally for the youngest witch. Another click and snap, and Maggie’s pouting face emerged from behind the lens. “Guys, please! Loosen up, you’re both stiff as a corpse.”

“I’m British, this is natural.” 

The statement drew a laugh from Macy’s lips as she held his arm to steady herself, leaning her head slightly on his shoulder.

_Click. Snap._

“Perfect! I like this one.”

Maggie waved the polaroid, the colours beginning to come together as the image developed slowly. “Oh, yes, this is a great shot, if I should say so myself.” She gathered the pictures she had left on the garden table, pushing them into Harry’s hands. “Here, sort through them, and arrange them according to category. I’ll be right back.” 

The Whitelighter sputtered at the pile, shuffling them like cards, pausing only at the picture of Macy and himself. Her smile as she leaned on his shoulder, his bemused expression- he could see why Maggie was pleased with herself. Macy glanced at his face and back down to the picture in his hands, and felt warmth creep into her cheeks. She bumped his shoulder with her own, causing him to turn to face her.

“Even if I take it, we’re still okay, right? You won’t leave me?”

“Never. I would never do anything to hurt you, you have my word.”

She smiled at him, his words a soothing balm to whatever question she had in her mind, the promise familiar somehow, though she could not quite place it. Her eyes fell back to the picture in his hands. She took a sip of her tea, making a mental note to sneak the polaroid away from Maggie later on. 

**Author's Note:**

> The minute that picture showed up out of Macy's wallet, I knew I had to write this. As you know, I favour the little Soft-Hacy moments from Season 1, and I enjoy filling in the missing scenes between episodes with my own ideas. I don't think I strayed too far from canon with this one. I hope you enjoyed it.


End file.
